Business owner burnout isn't caused by lack of effort. It's caused by lack of perspective.

Right now, athletes in Milan are competing at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Every single one has a team of data-driven coaches who see what the athlete can't see. Meanwhile, you're running a six-figure business completely alone, surrounded by people who love you but can't coach you.

In this episode, we break down:

- The 5 signs you have cheerleaders instead of coaches

- Why family advice is terrible for business growth (even though they mean well)

- The "Symptom vs Reality" diagnostic - what you THINK you need vs what's actually broken

- Real examples from Michigan service businesses leaving $120K+ on the table annually

- How to tell if you need a coach or if you can fix this yourself

If you're working 60+ hours, can't take vacation, and feel like the only person who can do anything valuable in your business - this episode is your wake-up call.

Mentioned in this episode:

- The 2026 Winter Olympics (Milan/Cortina)

- The difference between guides and consultants

- Ryan's 25+ years in ICU nursing and diagnostic thinking

- Case studies: Delta Township contractor, East Lansing service provider, Lansing restoration business

Resources:

- Free Book Interview: mediaaceadvisors.com/contact

- Full blog post with diagnostic table: [BLOG URL]

- Download: Symptom vs Reality Self-Assessment

The Profit Advisor Podcast helps service business owners earning $250K-$5M find hidden profit without spending more on marketing.

Hosted by Ryan Herrst, Certified Profit Advisor | Grand Ledge, Michigan

Ask most business owners what their goal is, and they'll tell you a revenue number. Ask them how excited they are about that goal on a 1-10 scale, and the room goes quiet. They say "Seven, maybe?" or "It's a solid six." Never ten.

I've conducted over 30 book interviews with service business owners across Michigan—from landscaping to professional services, trades to healthcare. The same pattern shows up everywhere: business owners working incredibly hard to hit goals that don't actually excite them.

I call this the 5/10 goal trap. You set a target that sounds responsible, realistic, and safe. But a goal you're only halfway committed to gets halfway effort. You end up working just as hard, feeling twice as frustrated, because deep down you know you're settling.

In this episode, I break down:

- Why "realistic" goals are actually killing your drive

- The difference between business goals (tactics) and business vision (emotional destination)

- The drilling process I use to help business owners find their real 10/10 goal

- Real examples from my research (completely anonymized) of business owners who discovered what they were actually building

- Why hitting your revenue target can feel empty if you don't know the "why" behind it

Here's what I've learned: the business owners who transform their lives don't just set better goals. They find the vision behind the goal. They discover what they're really building and why it matters.

One business owner I talked to hit his $750,000 revenue target after working 70-hour weeks. When I asked how he felt, he said, "It feels like I checked a box. But nothing changed. I'm still exhausted. I'm still missing my kids' stuff. The number didn't matter."

That's what happens when you chase goals without vision. You hit the target and feel empty instead of energized.

This isn't about motivation. This is about knowing where you're actually going so you can build a business that serves your life instead of consuming it.

If you've ever hit a revenue goal and felt empty, or if you're working toward a target that feels more like an obligation than a destination, this episode will help you find your 10/10.

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I'm Ryan Herrst, Certified Profit Advisor and author of "Profit Foundation." I work with service business owners across Michigan to identify hidden profit opportunities and build businesses that serve life instead of consuming it.

Want help finding your 10/10 goal? I'm currently interviewing business owners for the second edition of my book. These aren't sales calls—just strategic conversations where you help me understand your industry, and I help you see what you might not see from inside your business. Schedule your complimentary book interview at mediaaceadvisors.com

📧 ryan@mediaaceadvisors.com

📱 517-955-2154

🌐 mediaaceadvisors.com

#BusinessGoals #Entrepreneurship #SmallBusiness #BusinessVision #ProfitFirst #MichiganBusiness #ServiceBusiness #BusinessCoaching

Last Sunday, brands spent $7 million for 30 seconds of Super Bowl airtime. Meanwhile, service businesses across America are hemorrhaging six figures in profit they can't see. They're making the same mistake: optimizing for reach instead of revenue, frequency instead of profit margins.

The conversation starts with the false belief killing profit margins in 2026. Every business owner says "We need more leads. More customers. More reach." So when told they can find $100,000-plus in hidden profit without spending another dime on marketing, they can't comprehend it. They've been conditioned to believe growth requires advertising spend.But here's the medical metaphor that reframes everything. That's like telling an ICU nurse that a bleeding patient doesn't need stabilization, just more visitors. When you're hemorrhaging profit, you don't need reach. You need precision intervention.

The discussion walks through the exact math. If you're converting 30% of leads and getting 100 monthly, you close 30 deals. Traditional marketing says double your leads to 200 and close 60 deals. Except doubling leads means doubling or tripling marketing spend, especially with 2026's AI-driven ad costs skyrocketing (the same ad costing $2 per click last year now costs $3.50).

Strategic planning offers a different path. Keep the same 100 leads and fix your conversion rate from 30% to 50%. Now you're closing 50 deals from the same 100 leads. Same budget. 67% more revenue. Pure profit margin improvement.

You'll hear the case study of Dr. Jennifer Walsh, a chiropractor working 70 hours weekly, generating $850K in revenue but taking home only $119K. Her conversion was 35%, retention 68%, and she was underpriced by 15%. The conversation breaks down her systematic changes: education scripts (conversion improved to 58%), retention protocols (reached 82%), strategic pricing (margins up 4.2 points). Result: $1.24M revenue, $420K take-home, 45 hours weekly instead of 70.

The discussion tackles the 80/20 rule most coaches won't address honestly. Twenty percent of clients consume 80% of time while generating under 20% of profit. These profit vampires drain resources. Dr. Jennifer fired 7 patients (bottom 15% by profitability), lost $23K revenue, gained 12 hours weekly, used that time for better systems. Net result: plus $390K annual profit.

The conversation explains the 4-step Conversion Formula: Captivate (address urgent problems with precision), Fascinate (show unique solutions with specific numbers), Educate (explain your protocol so they understand differentiation), Close (make next steps irresistible by removing risk). Super Bowl ads nail step one and fail the others. That's marketing strategy, not strategic planning.

You'll also hear about economic uncertainty separating businesses into two categories. The hemorrhaging ones keep chasing expensive leads while profit bleeds out. The strategic ones optimize what they have and capture market share they'll never give back.

If you're working 60-plus hours weekly, if profit margins are below 15% despite revenue growth, if you've been buying more leads hoping something changes, this conversation shows exactly where you're hemorrhaging profit and how to stop it.

Because if nothing changes, nothing changes. The businesses winning in 2026 won't have bigger advertising budgets. They'll have better conversion systems, ICU-level triage skills, and OR-level precision.

This is for service business owners ($250K-$5M revenue) who feel stuck. You're working harder but margins aren't improving. You keep hearing "get more leads" but your gut says something else is broken. Listen to why strategic planning beats marketing strategy and where six figures in hidden profit sits in your business right now.

mediaaceadvisors.com

517-955-2154